I love to get good deals & be as thrifty as possible and I’m sure you do too so I had to share some new finds….

Restaurant.com – here’s a site I am GLAD finally has some Des Moines participants! I always heard of folks using it but there weren’t enough good local places participating last I checked. Now there are GREAT places listed & who wouldn’t want dinner for half-price or less? Check it out.

One Des Moines-area blog about deals that I check regularly is frugalplayground.com. And here’s 2 sites I recently learned about: hip2save.com & www.totallytarget.com.

What are your go-to savings sites?

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It was wrong…it was scandalous…it may or may not have been some incarnation of evil itself. And yet, I still couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it. On one hand, it was the most diabolical creation in all of the culinary arts, and it might single-handedly oppose all that I work for as a healthcare professional. On the other hand, it was delicious.

These were the thoughts that went through my mind as I sampled the “deep fried mac n’ cheese on a stick” at the Iowa State Fair.

I could just feel Hippocrates shaking his head and looking down with shame from the heavens, and somewhere in the DMU wellness center, I’m sure Joy Schiller was doing likewise. She must have known, somehow. Such a great and treacherous force of unhealthiness couldn’t possibly escape her attention.

I don’t regret it, of course – it really was delicious. Better yet, my heart started beating again just in time for me to move on to the “deep fried candy bar…on a stick.” See, I look at it this way – going on the treadmill once isn’t enough to make you healthy, so eating at the fair once shouldn’t be enough to give you type II diabetes. Besides, it was a special occasion (we’ve finished up our first ever exam of med school!)

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You have NO excuse for not having fun this weekend. There’s tons to do around town PLUS Saturday is the 5k at DMU. You can show up early & sign up if you don’t get a chance to do it online.

Sunday is my favoritest day ever — DMU day at the Iowa State Fair. YAY!!!! Find us on the Grand Concourse in a tent with FREE blood pressure screenings, awesome temporary tatts and a giant standup photo prop to stick your head in!

Even if you don’t hit the fair on Sunday (and why wouldn’t you!?) you HAVE to make plans to check it out, at least for an evening. It’s so fun to people-watch, grab some food-on-a-stick and check out all the animals, veggies & cool stuff!

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Some people might think I’m crazy for getting a dog but I couldn’t help it! Ever since my dad took my first dog away from me (7 years ago) because it pooped in the house, my broken heart had never healed. All throughout medical school, I wondered when a good time would be to get a dog but as the years rolled on by, there really was never a “good time.” So the heck with it, I’m going to live my life the way I want to. Here doggie, momma’s comin’ to get you!

My husband and I have been talking about the ideal dog for the past several years. We knew we wanted a mellow-tempered dog that is a people-pleaser. Someday, we hope to have children, so we wanted a non-aggressive, low-shedding cuddle-bug, because after all, a dog is a lifetime commitment so it had to be perfect. We found Mulder from a rescue group out here in Michigan and he couldn’t have been more perfect (he was already house trained!). The dog my dad took away from me was a black dog, and Mulder was a black dog, coincident? No, it was definitely fate.

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Don’t forget to RSVP soon for the great DMU Run-Day-Voo!

The fun begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 14, in front of the Academic Center. It’s only $20 (which includes a tee) if you register online or $30 at the door.

Not only will you be rubbing elbows with fellow students, staff & grads, it’s a great lil tour through our beautiful neighborhood. And it’s no cakewalk, the route is hilly and challenging so those of you fitness buffs will get a nice sweat. Those who choose to walk it will feel satisfied too!

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In a few weeks on Aug. 28, the Iowa Walk for Epilepsy will kick off at 8 a.m. at Merle Hay Mall. You should sign up, organize a team, donate or spread the word! DMU is a proud sponsor of the event and hopes it brings awareness to the struggle many people with epilepsy have. It’s FREE to walk. The idea is for you to collect donations &/or just participate to raise awareness!

If you’re not free that day & don’t have a dime to spare, at least take a moment to learn more about epilepsy.

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